Pembroke Knights of Columbus holds prom for special students

Monday

Apr 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMApr 28, 2008 at 11:04 PM

The Knights of Columbus’ Pembroke Council held a prom for teenagers and young adults with special needs. For most of the 75 people who attended, it was their first chance to get dressed up and celebrate like everyone else.

Sydney Schwartz

A steady stream of young people strutted off the party bus dressed in tuxedos and colorful gowns, their eyes glowing with excitement, curiosity and just a hint of nervousness.

They ran to friends, enveloping one another in hugs, offering pats on the back and yelling in delight. As they held on to their dates and posed for the cameras, their smiles grew.

The prom held at the Knights of Columbus hall in Pembroke on Saturday night was attended by nearly 75 people ranging in age from 15 to 28, all of whom have special needs and are students at Cardinal Cushing Center in Hanover or other South Shore high schools.

For most of the promgoers, it was a first chance to get dressed up in fancy clothes and formal up-dos, with corsages, manicures, the works. In a sense, many parents said, it was their first chance to be “normal” high school students.

Many of the students who attended the prom in Pembroke have watched brothers, sisters and friends go on dates and to high school proms. But they weren’t able to because of their medical conditions, which range from Down syndrome to autism. Not until Saturday night, that is.

“It’s being completely normal,” said Cindy Lavigne of Whitman, whose 19-year-old son Alex asked a friend to the dance. “This is the fanciest we’ve ever been. This is it, the whole nine yards,” she said.

Inside the dance, volunteers handed out homemade bracelets and shiny silver key-chains and mirrors. Colorful balloons, stars and miniature graduation caps hung from the ceiling. A sign on the wall congratulated graduates.

Some attendees skipped around the dance floor and tables, sipping sodas and chatting with friends. Others camped out at the tables, which sparkled with light blue tablecloths, yellow and blue balloons and formal place settings.

In one corner, promgoers waited in line to be photographed with old friends or their dates. Parents stood off to the side, some with tears welling in their eyes.

“My son will never be able to get married. He’ll never have that glory of walking down the aisle,” said Dottie Ruokis of Brockton, whose 28-year-old son, Michael, has Down syndrome. He brought one of his friends, Nichelle St. Jean, to the prom.

“This is the closest it’s ever going to get,” his mother said.

Kevin McKenna of Hanson, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 6267, organized the event for the benefit of the students and their parents.

McKenna’s 13-year-old son has bipolar disorder, his 12-year-old daughter is autistic and his 9-year-old son is autistic and deaf and has Down syndrome. At his daughter’s school dances, he said, he noticed that children with special needs were being left out.

But when the band started up on Saturday night, special needs students were the guests of honor. People flocked to the dance floor, dancing, jumping and singing, alone, in pairs and in large groups. Some danced from their seats at tables. Parents watched from the sidelines.

At 6 p.m., dance organizers escorted parents downstairs for dinner, leaving their sons and daughters to dine without them. Partygoers were served by volunteers, who brought out salads and cut up steaks and vegetables for those who needed help.

“This is like perfect to be here,” said Sue Daily of Whitman, who took her 21-year-old son Timothy, a senior at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. “He feels very independent and very special today to be able to be all dressed up.”

Kaileigh Frost, 18, of East Bridgewater goes to school in Abington. She admitted to being a bit nervous Saturday night.

“This is my first time at night doing this,” she said. “With my mom here, I think I’ll be all right.”

Sydney Schwartz is at sschwartz@ledger.com.

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